Water heater



L. J. JANECEK May 4, 1954 WATERA HEATER 2 Sheets--SheeiI l Filed June l, 1949 Jgd i. l@ y?. :WW 2f May 4, 1954 L. J. JANECEK 2,677,368

WATER HEATER Filed June l, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 NVENTR. Jadis JJ//ece/f Patented May 4, 1954 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE WATER HEATER of Michigan Application June 1, 1949, Serial No. 96,532

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improved water heater having particular utility in an industrial washer.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved water heater particularly adapted for use in industrial spray washers, which is simple in construction, economical of manufacture, and reliable and eilicient in operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved water heater adapted for heating a body of water such as that maintained in the tank of an industrial washer and which has no connections in the tank and no submerged parts.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved water heater including means for mixing iinely divided particles of the Water to be heated with hot gases so that the heat of the latter may be absorbed by the former.

Lt is also an object of the invention to provide an improved water heater including a burner and which is so arranged that the products of combustion, after passing through the heat exchange chambers of the heater, may be concentrated for discharge at a desired point in the lower part of the washing chamber.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cylindrical heat exchange chamber in which the water to be heated forms a jacket for the inner wall oi the chamber and is heated by combustion within the chamber.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved water heater of the just mentioned type including a burner and means for controlling the secondary air supply.

@ther and more detailed objects oi the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following specification, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a broken view in vertical section showing an industrial washer embodying a water heater constructed according to the present invention; and

Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are broken enlarged sectional views of the construction illustrated in l taken respectively along the lines 2--2, 3 3, #i-ll and 5--5 thereof.

It will be appreciated from a complete understandi'ng of the present invention that the water heater thereof may be readily adapted for use in widely differing equipment. It has a particular utility in connection with equipment such as industrial spray Washers in which a recirculating body of water is used, and accordingly applicants water heater is illustrated and described herein as embodied in such a washer.

Referring to the drawings, the washer generally indicated at I 0 comprises a generally rectangular tank l2, a generally rectangular spray washing chamber I4 supported thereon at one side thereof, and the water heater generally indicated at i5. It will be appreciated, of course, that the length of the washer Ill, measured in a direction at right angles to the plane of the section or Fig. 1 may be varied as desired to provide adequate washing. The washer, in accordance with conventional design, includes water lines la in the washing chamber I4 and having a plurality of jet openings or spray nozzles 20 to which water is supplied from the tank l2 by means of a suitable pump 22 which may be driven by any suitable means such as an electric motor 2d.

The water heater I6 includes a rectangular box 2li open at its lower side and supported in the tank l2 on legs 23 with its open lower side disposed slightly below the normal water level 35 which may be automatically maintained by conventional float valve means indicated at 3i and to which water is supplied through a sup-ply line 33. The box 26 has a restricted opening 32 in its upper side adjacent one end thereof and disposed substantially centrally of said washing chamber i4 at the bottom thereof. The upper side of the box 26, in spaced relation to its other end, carries a large upwardly extending pipe 3d communicating at its lower end with the interior of the box 26 and having an annular flange 3S welded or otherwise suitably secured to its upper end. An annular flange 38, secured to the ange 3&3 by bolts di! and sealed thereto by means of a gasket i2, carries a burner housing generally indicated at 43. The ange 38 has a threaded central opening Lili which threadedly engages and supports an upwardly projecting pipe section it forming the lower part of the housing 3. Radi-- ally outwardly oi the central opening lll and at diametrically opposite sides thereof, the ange 38 carries oppositely directed depending nozzles @B connected by suitable water lines 58 to a header 52 and adapted to discharge solid streams oi water onto the inner Wall of the pipe 34 in a tangential direction and adjacent to the top thereof. Water is supplied to the header 52 by means of the pump 22 through water line 5t.

The pipe section i6 is lprovided with three circumerentially spaced openings 56, 58 and 5E which, in the construction illustrated, are spaced at intervals of and receive respectively a sight glass B2, a flame safety device 54, which may be of conventional construction, and a pilot burner 66.

A T-tting B8 is mounted on the upper end of the pipe section 4G and forms the upper part of the burner housing 43. The T-itting B8 carries a bushing 'l0 having a threaded connection with a gas pipe 12 extending downwardly therethrough and carrying a burner tip 'M mounted on its lower end and projecting to the upper end of the pipe section 46. 'I'he position of the burner tip 14, axially of the pipe section 4S, may be adjusted by rotation of the bushing l0. The burner tip 14 has a small annular clearance indicated at 16 permitting secondary air to be supplied around the burner tip to the pipe 34.

A mixture of gas and primary air is supplied to the gas line 12, the gas being supplied through a line i8 and the primary air being supplied from a blower 8u through a line 84. The supply of air from the blower S9 is controlled by a temperature control valve 32 responsive to a bulb (not shown) mounted in the tank i2. The disn charge from the blower 8c in addition to the primary air supplied through the line 84 .provides secondary air which is supplied to the burner housing through a secondary line Se which is connected to the T-tting 68 through a bushing 38. From the T-iitting 68 the secondary air flows around the burner tip 'M through the anu nular opening i6 and into the pipe 34. In operation the iiame from the burner tip lli extends downwardly axially into the pipe 3G in spaced relation to the inner walls thereof l=ubstantially as illustrated in Figure 1.

In addition to the primary heat exchange effected in the chamber provided within the pipe 3d, a secondary heat exchange takes place in the box 25 through which the gaseous products of combustion pass from the pipe Se. It will be appreciated that in the broader aspects of the invention any suitable means may be employed for providing a plurality of relatively small water particles within the box 26 for intermingling with and absorbing heat from the hot gases passing through the box 26. In the preferred construction illustrated, the means for providing the iinely divided water `particles in the box 2S comprises a plurality of spray nozzles generally indicated at 90, which are mounted on a header 92 disposed within the box 26 above the level 3] of the water in the tank i?. and between the lower end of the pipe 34 and the adjacent end of the box 25. By virtue of this arrangement the nozzles 90 spray water directly across the path of the hot gases entering the box 2G from the pipe 3ft. The outlet opening 32, through which the hot gases are expelled is disposed as described so that gases pass up through the washing chamber where additional heat may be absorbed from them by the water sprayed from the nozzles 2t.

The construction of the pipe 34 and the burner tip Tl, and the means for controlling the lame extending downwardly from the burner tip M is such that, as indicated in Fig. l. the llame may extend substantially throughout the entire length of the pipe 313 but burns itself out inside of the water jacket provided within the pipe 34 by means of the nozzles 48.

It will now be appreciated that the number of pipes 34 and boxes 26 may be muitiplied as required to provide the .proper heating capacity, adjacent boxes and pipes being spaced along the tank l2 in a direction measured at right angles to the plane of the section shown in Figure 1.

From the foregoing description of the present invention, it will be appreciated that in use the pump 22 provides a steady supply of washing water to the nozzles 2B in the washing chamber I4 and in addition provides water to the nozzles 48 from which the water runs down the interior of the pipe 34, completely jacketing the pipe, and also provides water to the nozzles from which it is sprayed to the interior of the box 26. The water is heated directly by the name from the burner i4 as it passes down the interior of the pipe 31% and is also heated within the box 26 by the hot gaseous products of combustion which pass into the box 2S from the pipe 34, along the length of the box 26 and out through the restrieted opening 32. It will also be appreciated that within the tank 25 these hot gases will also come in direct contact with the upper surface of the water standing in the box 26 and some heat will be exchanged in this manner. It will be noted that the nozzles 9B are disposed so that they spray water directly across the bottom of the pipe 34 from which the hot gases enter the box 26. Additional heat is extracted from the gaseous products of combustion after they leave the box 2S through the opening 32 and during their passage upwardly through the washing chamber i4.

Although only one specic embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described in detail, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that numerous modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is;

l. A water heater comprising means defining a cylindrical heat exchange chamber having a substantially vertically extending wall, means for providing a cylindrical layer of water to be heated running down said wall, means for providing i'iame means disposed in spaced relation to said wall for heating said layer of water, means dening a second heat exchange chamber con municating with said rst named heat exchange chamber and adapted to receive the gaseous products o1" combustion from the burning oi said flame therein, and means for mixing, in said second chamber, said gaseous products of com bustion with finely divided particles of the water to be heated, said means deiining said second heat exchange chamber including means for maintaining a bath oi' the water to be heated substantially at a predetermined level, at which level the surface oi' said bath of water cooperates to define the lower boundary of said second heat exchange chamber.

2. A water heater comprising means dening a cylindrical heat exchange chamber having a substantially vertically extending wall, means for providing a cylindrical layer of water to be heated running down said wall, means for providing flame means disposed in spaced relation to said wall for heating said layer of water, means deiining a second heat exchange chamber cemmunicating with said first named heat exchange chamber and adapted to receive the gaseous products of combustion from the burning of said name therein, and means for mixing, in said second chamber, said gaseous products or combustion with finely divided particles of the water to be heated, said means dening said second heat exchange chamber including means for maintaining a bath of the water to be heated substantially at a predetermined level, at which level the surface of said bath of water cooperates to define the lower boundary of said second heat exchange chamber, said mixing means including a plurality Vof nozzles for spraying the water to be heated into said second heat exchange chamber.

3. A water heater comprising means dening an elongated vertically disposed cylindrical wall providing a heat exchange chamber, means for providing a cylindrical layer of Water flowing down and completely covering said wall, means for providing an elongated flame substantially lling the space Within and separated from said Wall by said cylindrical layer of water, means dening a second heat exchange chamber disposed beioW said first heat exchange chamber and communicating therewith at the lower end thereof, and means for directing a jet of Water to be heated horizontally within said second heat exchange chamber and transversely of the lower end of said cylindrical wall to provide a thorough mixture of finely divided particles of Water to be heated with the gaseous products of combustion produced by said flame and to facilitate the provision of a down draft in said rst heat exchange chamber and the proper disposition of said flame.

4. A water heater as dened Iin claim 3 wherein said rst heat exchange chamber communicates with said second heat exchange chamber through 25 the upper Wall of said second heat exchange chamber and adjacent one side thereof and wherein said second heat exchange chamber is provided with a restricted outlet adjacent the opposite side thereof, said means for directing a jet of Water being disposed adjacent said one side and adapted to direct said jet of vvater toward the opposite side of said heat exchange chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNTED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 523,071 `Humphrey July 17, 1894 773,864 Frost Nov. 1, 1904 782,632 Waldbaur Feb. 14, 1905 940,240 Duryea Nov. 16, 1909 1,070,052 McSalley Aug. 12, 1913 1,761,812 Breton June 3, 1930 1,762,762 Coffey June 10, 1930 2,036,503 Russell Apr. 7, 1936 2,207,452 Bingman July 9, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 31 Great Britain of 1915 373,801 Great Britain June 2, 1932 683,822 France Mar. 10, 1930 

